A Holiday Plea
So last year, on December 4th, I made a post. I said that I was too poor to give people gifts this year, and instead of giving me anything, I wanted my friends to donate money so I could go shopping for underwear for the local teen homeless shelter.
The project took on a life of its own, and in three weeks the internet raised over $3,000.
I'd like to do that again this year. So this is where I tell you that Spokane is cold. Thursday, when I was driving to work, it was 19 degrees out. Our weekly high has been in the 30s. These kids don't have much in the way of clothing, and they especially don't have much in the way of warm, practical gear. Most of what they own is second, third, or fourth hand.
I went by the shelter tonight, and grabbed their Holiday wishlist. It reads:
Socks, hoodies, and gloves have been circled. I'm told that (again) underwear are in great demand.
I've gone and priced those items, and hoodies seem to be running around $18. Socks and gloves and underwear can be bought in multi-packs, and run between $2 and $7 dollars a pack.
I'd like to raise $500 to buy hoodies, socks, underwear, and gloves for these kids.
I know that money is super tight for all of us this time of year, and I know that nobody has a lot to give. But here's the thing - if a hundred people each give $5, that's $500. I know that's possible, because over 300 people donated last year. If you've even got a dollar in your paypal account, that would be wonderful too, and if you don't have that - please please repost this. Spread the word, this won't be possible without it! Livejournal, blogs, twitter, facebook, whatever. The more people who see this, the more likely it is that we'll be able to do this.
So yes. that's my Christmas wish again this year. Help me help out a bunch of kids who don't have anything, and could really use something to make their lives a little bit better.
My paypal is jessamayone@hotmail.com , and if you have any questions, I can be reached at bunnymcfoo at gmail dot com, or through a comment on this entry. Please be sure to mark donations as being a gift, or paypal will take a small chunk out of the donation D: I would prefer it if you did not use the button, since you can't mark a gift at that point.
I'm really really crossing my fingers that this works out well. If anyone wants more information about the shelter, I can provide that - just ask! All of your contributions are tax-deductible, and I would be more than happy to mail receipts to you.
EDIT: The Holiday party for the shelter is the 15th, so if it's possible to get this done before then, that would be wonderful. I will, however, be accepting donations until the 24th - they're always accepting things, and I could hit the after Christmas sales with whatever was left after the 15th. <3 <3 <3
CHILD OF EDIT: It has been pointed out to me that non-US paypal is slightly different, and may not give you the option of marking something as a gift - if that's the case for you, please don't worry about it. The amount taken from your donation is negligible, and your gift will be gratefully received.
THE EDIT STRIKES BACK: This post has been up for about 20 hours at this point, and just over $800 has been raised. I'm so utterly delighted in all of you, and wish that I could hug the internet. At this point, we're past simply hoodies and socks and into hoodies, socks, undies, jeans, and toothbrushes. Thank you, you are all wonderful.
The project took on a life of its own, and in three weeks the internet raised over $3,000.
I'd like to do that again this year. So this is where I tell you that Spokane is cold. Thursday, when I was driving to work, it was 19 degrees out. Our weekly high has been in the 30s. These kids don't have much in the way of clothing, and they especially don't have much in the way of warm, practical gear. Most of what they own is second, third, or fourth hand.
I went by the shelter tonight, and grabbed their Holiday wishlist. It reads:
- Underwear & socks
- Jeans, hooded sweatshirts, flannel shirts & tops (esp XL-XXL)
- Gloves & stocking caps
- Games & activities (basketballs, board games, footballs, hacky sacks, hand held video games, playing cards, tech decks, etc)
- Toiletries (esp. deodorant & toothbruhes) & make-up
- Arts & crafts supplies
- Boots & winter shoes
- Gift certificates (books, clothes, food, movies, music, etc)
- Twin bedding & bath towels
- Bicycle helmets, lights & locks
Socks, hoodies, and gloves have been circled. I'm told that (again) underwear are in great demand.
I've gone and priced those items, and hoodies seem to be running around $18. Socks and gloves and underwear can be bought in multi-packs, and run between $2 and $7 dollars a pack.
I'd like to raise $500 to buy hoodies, socks, underwear, and gloves for these kids.
I know that money is super tight for all of us this time of year, and I know that nobody has a lot to give. But here's the thing - if a hundred people each give $5, that's $500. I know that's possible, because over 300 people donated last year. If you've even got a dollar in your paypal account, that would be wonderful too, and if you don't have that - please please repost this. Spread the word, this won't be possible without it! Livejournal, blogs, twitter, facebook, whatever. The more people who see this, the more likely it is that we'll be able to do this.
So yes. that's my Christmas wish again this year. Help me help out a bunch of kids who don't have anything, and could really use something to make their lives a little bit better.
My paypal is jessamayone@hotmail.com , and if you have any questions, I can be reached at bunnymcfoo at gmail dot com, or through a comment on this entry. Please be sure to mark donations as being a gift, or paypal will take a small chunk out of the donation D: I would prefer it if you did not use the button, since you can't mark a gift at that point.
I'm really really crossing my fingers that this works out well. If anyone wants more information about the shelter, I can provide that - just ask! All of your contributions are tax-deductible, and I would be more than happy to mail receipts to you.
EDIT: The Holiday party for the shelter is the 15th, so if it's possible to get this done before then, that would be wonderful. I will, however, be accepting donations until the 24th - they're always accepting things, and I could hit the after Christmas sales with whatever was left after the 15th. <3 <3 <3
CHILD OF EDIT: It has been pointed out to me that non-US paypal is slightly different, and may not give you the option of marking something as a gift - if that's the case for you, please don't worry about it. The amount taken from your donation is negligible, and your gift will be gratefully received.
THE EDIT STRIKES BACK: This post has been up for about 20 hours at this point, and just over $800 has been raised. I'm so utterly delighted in all of you, and wish that I could hug the internet. At this point, we're past simply hoodies and socks and into hoodies, socks, undies, jeans, and toothbrushes. Thank you, you are all wonderful.